Thai DPM blamed for violence in the south

BANGKOK: In a startling confrontation in Parliament, opposition lawmakers yesterday accused Thailand's deputy prime minister of having close ties with a shadowy Muslim separatist leader in the country's south, and blamed him for recent violence there. 

As an opposition move to oust eight Cabinet ministers entered its third day, the Democrat party said Deputy Prime Minister Wan Muhammad Noor Matha was responsible for the recent spate of killings and abductions, largely blamed on Muslim insurgents. 

But Democrat lawmakers gave no evidence, and Muhammad Noor, a Muslim from the southern province of Yala, vehemently denied their claims. 

“I accuse you (Muhammad Noor) as a collaborator of the mastermind of terrorists, and I will not withdraw my remarks,'' said Democrat party lawmaker Thanin Jaisamutr, who's also a Muslim and represents the southern province of Satun. 

Satun – one of the four Muslim-majority provinces in this predominantly Buddhist kingdom – has remained peaceful, while violence has struck the nearby provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala. 

The shock allegation – made during a nationally broadcast debate – was unlikely to be taken seriously. But it could draw more attention to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's much-criticised inability to quell the five-month-old southern violence. 

Meanwhile, Thai security forces have been ordered to seize video CDs showing the controversial storming of a mosque last month in which 32 suspected Muslim militants were gunned down, police said yesterday.  

“I ordered my subordinates to look for them (the VCDs) and to confiscate them if found, as this could lead to more violence and misunderstanding,” said Pattani provincial police commander Col Poth Sueysuwant.  

Poth said he had learned last week about the existence of footage showing the April 28 raid of the mosque by security forces, adding that it was being sold at markets in the south. 

One of Muhammad Noor's close aides, legislator Najmuddin Umar, has been charged with masterminding a raid on an army arsenal on Jan 4, when weapons were stolen and four soldiers were killed. Najmuddin remains free with parliamentary immunity.  

Since the raid, gunmen on motorcycles have killed more than 100 people in drive-by shootings. Most of the victims have been policemen, teachers and government officials from the Buddhist establishment. 

Security forces killed 107 suspected militants on April 28, when poorly armed men attacked 10 outposts. Five security forces were killed. – Agencies